Automatic gun-hose.



G. LLWETZEL. AUTOMATIC GUN HOSE. APPLICATION FILED SBPT.17, 190s.

Patented Nov. 16,1909.

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G. L. WETZEL.

AUTOMATIC GUN HOSE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 17,1908. 940,101 Patented Nov. 16, 1909.

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I //6 amewboz GEORGE L. WETZEL, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

AUTOMATIC GUN-HOSE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 16, 1909.

Application filed September 17, 1908. Serial No. 453,507.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE L. Wnrznn, a citizen of the United States,residing at Baltimore, in the county of Baltimore City and State ofMaryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in AutomaticGun-Hose; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in gun hose or cleaningattachments.

The object of the invention is to provide an attachment of thischaracter adapted to be automatically operated after each discharge ofthe gun whereby all danger of a flareback will be obviated, and allpowder prevented from exploding while the breech is open.

A further object is to provide a hose attachment of this character bymeans of which gas and sulfur fumes will be forced out of the muzzle endof the gun and all particles of burning gauze or powder will beextinguished.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction, combination and arrange ment of parts aswill be described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims. 7

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of aportion of a gun showing the application of the invention thereto; Fig.2 is an enlarged detail view of the water-discharging nozzle, itsprotecting cap, retracting spring, spring casing and the end of the hoseor water supply pipe; Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the protecting capand its attaching shank; Fig. 4 is a detail side view of the hoseconnection showing the valve lever in its double form; Fig. 5 is asimilar view showing a single form of the valve lever; Fig. 6 is a sideview of the valve operating bar showing in dotted lines the valve leverengaged therewith; Fig. 7 is a plan View of the valve and operating bar;and Fig. 8 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the valve and theoperating bar showing the manner in which the bar is supported by andoperates the valve.

Referring more particularly to the drawings 1 denotes the gun which ishere shown as having the breech block removed. The gun is suitablymounted'for recoil upon a structed of an upper rectangular section, 6,

an intermediate circular portion, 7, and a lower squared portion, 8, onthe end of which is formed a reduced threaded connecting shank, 9, ontowhich is adapted to be screwed the upper end of the spray nozzle, 4:,which is provided with a threaded socket to receive said shank. Theupper end of the passage 3 is recessed as hereinbefore described toaccommodate each of the portions or sections of the cap. The uppersurface of the section or portion 6 of the-cap is formed on thecurvature of the gun bore and is adapted to normally lie in flushengage- Inent therewith.

The upper portion of thenozzle is rectangular in cross section tocorrespond to the shape and size of the lower portion, 8, ofthe cap andin said upper squared portion of the nozzle adjacent to its upper end isformed a series of discharge ports or spray holes, 10, one of which ispreferably arranged in each of the four sides of the nozzle. The holes,10, communicate with vertically disposed grooves or channels, 12, whichextend upwardly in the sides of the upper portion of the nozzle, and theadjacent squared portion, 8, of the cap. The lower half of the nozzle,4, is reduced, and is preferably circular in form. The lower end of saidnozzle is threaded and on the said threaded end is screwed a circularplunger, 13, in the lower side of which is formed a funnel-shapedrecess, 14, which 0011111111111 cates with the passage in the plungerinto which the lower end of the nozzle is screwed. The lower side of theplunger is provided with wrench-engaging recesses, 15, by means of whicha wrench is applied to the plunger to screw the same into engagementwith the nozzle.

The lower portion of the nozzle projects below the lower side of the gunand is adapted to work in the plunger casing, 16, the upper end of whichis threaded and adapted to be screwed into the threaded recess formed inthe lower side of the gun, as shown. The lower end of the casing, 16, isalso threaded and with said threaded lower end is engaged an elbow, 17to which is connected a water supply pipe, 18. In the casing, 16,between the plunger and the end of the recess, into which the casing isscrewed, is arranged a coiled spring, 19, the tension of which isexerted to hold the closing cap closed in the recess formed therefor.

The supply pipe 18 is held in position and secured to the gun by ahanger, 20, and to the said pipe is connected a controlling valve, 21,the stem, 22, of which projects beyond one side of the valve casing. Thestem, 22, is square in cross section and with said stem is engaged anoperating sleeve, 23, to which is secured, midway between its ends, anoperating lever, 24. The ends of the sleeve which project beyond theopposite sides of the lever, 24, are cylindrical and upon said ends arerevolubly mounted antifrictional rollers, 25, said rollers and sleevesbeing held in operative position on the stem, 22, by a nut, 26, or asimilar fastening device, which is screwed onto the reduced threaded endof the stem, as shown. The opposite end of the valve projects beyond theopposite side of the casing and has secured thereto an emergency leveror handle, 27, whereby the valve may be manually operated.

The lever, 21, may be of double form, as shown in Fig. 4 of thedrawings, or in single form as shown in Fig. 5. When constructed indouble form, the valve is adapted to be both opened and closed by theoperating mechanism hereinafter described, and when constructed insingle form, the valve is simply opened by the automatic operatingmechanism and is manually closed. The mechanism for operating the valvecomprises an operating bar, 28, having formed therein a verticallongitudinally disposed passage, 29, and a horizontal,longitudinally-disposed passage, 30.

The bar is formed in two sections-an outer section in which thepassages, 29 and 30, are formed, and an inner section, 31, provided onits inner end with an attaching flange, 32, which is bolted or otherwisesecured to the gun carriage. The outer section having the passages, 29and 30, is hingedly connected at its inner end to the outer end of theinner section, 31, as shown. The outer section of the bar is operativelyengaged with the lever, 24, on the valve stem, the arm or arms of saidlever engaging with the vertical passages in said bar, while thehorizontal passages in said bar engage the rollers, 25, on the sleeve,23, of the lever. The bar when thus engaged with the anti-frictionalrollers, 25, is supported by the valve stem in an operative position. Inthe upper portion of the vertical slot or passage, 29, between theopposite sides of the bar is revolubly mounted an operating roller, 33,the shaft of which is engaged with one of a series of pairs of bearingapertures,

34, formed in the opposite sides of the bar and communicating with theupper portion of the passage formed therein.

The arrangement of the operating roller is such that it will be engagedby the arms of the single or double form of valve operating lever whenthe gun recoils after being tired and is again restored to battery bythe proper mechanism connected thereto. When the gun recoils or movesbackward after being fired, the pipe 18 and valve 21 are, of course,also carried back and the lever 2-1 on the stem of the valve is broughtinto engagement with the roller 33 of the operating bar 28, therebyturning said valve to an open position and permitting the water to passthrough the supply pipe and to engage the plunger, 13, and to force thelatter, together with the spray nozzle and protecting cap upwardlyagainst the tension of the spring, 19, thus raising the cap into thebore of the gun and permitting the upper apertured end of the spraynozzle to project a suflicient distance into the bore of the gun toallow for the discharge of water through the passages formed therein.The operating roller, 33, is adapted to be moved to various positions inthe operating bar, thus regulating the amount of opening of the valve,21, to cause more or less water to pass through the pipe and dischargenozzle into thebore of the gun. \Vhen the operating lever, 24, is ofdouble form, the roller, 33, will be brought into engagement with one ofthe' arms thereof to open the same upon the recoil of the gun, and uponthe restoration of the gun to its normal position, the opposite arm willbe engaged by the roller, and thereby turn the valve to a closedposition, cutting off the water supply and permitting the spring, 19, toretract the discharge nozzle and cap to a closed and inoperativeposition.

The supply pipe has connected to its free end a flexible pipe or hose,35, in which is arranged a cut-off valve, 36. WVhen the attachment isused in connection with turret guns, the flexible portion of the supplypipe may enter the turret or be connected to a main supply pipe at anysuitable point, and when the gun is not in use the water may be entirelyout off therefrom by means of the valve, 36. In the elbow connecting thesupply pipe with the spring or plunger casing is arranged a drain cock,37, whereby the water may be drained from the supply pipe and plungerchamber when the device is not in use.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters-Patent, is:

1. A gun hose comprising a water supply pipe, a discharge nozzle, avalve arranged in said pipe, means whereby said nozzle is projected intothe bore by the pressure of the water in said pipe when said valve isopened,

and means to automatically operate said valve.

2-. A gun hose comprising a water supply pipe, a valve controlling thesupply therethrough, a discharge nozzle, a protecting cap connected toand operated by said nozzle, a spring retracted nozzle-operating plungeradapted to be acted upon by the pressure of water in said supply pipe,and means operated by the recoil of the gun to automatically operatesaid valve whereby the water is automatically discharged into the boreof the gun.

3. A gun hose comprising a water supply pipe, a discharge nozzleoperated by the pressure of water in said pipe to project the same to anoperative position for the discharge of water into'the bore of the gun,a retracting spring adapted to retract said nozzle to its normalposition, and a protecting cap for the nozzle arranged to beautomatically operated by the movement of said nozzle.

at. A gun hose comprising a water supply pipe, a discharge nozzleadapted to be projected to an operative position by the pressure ofwater in said pipe, an operating bar, a controlling, valve having asliding engagement with said bar, and means adjustable in said bar toopen said valve upon the recoil of the gun and to close the valve uponthe restoration of the gun to its normal position.

5. gun hose comprising a watersupply pipe, a spray nozzle operativelymounted in the gun and adapted to be projected to a position fordischarging water into the bore of the gun by the pressure of the waterin said supply pipe, a plunger on said nozzle to receive the pressure ofthe water in the supply pipe, a retracting spring engaged with saidplunger to retract said discharge nozzle, a protecting cap secured tothe upper end of the spray nozzle and adapted to automatically open andclose the passage in the gun through which the nozzle projects, anoperating bar, a controlling valve arranged in said supply pipe, andhaving a sliding engagement with said operating bar, and meansadjustable in said bar to operate the valve.

6. A gun hose comprising a water supply pipe, a valve arranged in saidpipe, said valve having a stem projecting from opposite sides of thevalve casing, an emergency handle arranged at one end of the valveanti-frictional rollers arranged on the sleeves of said lever to engagesaid horizontal passage in said operating bar whereby the latter issupported on the valve stem, and means adjustable in said operating barto engage said lever and thereby operate said valve upon the recoil andrestoration of the gun.

7. A gun hose comprising a water supply pipe, a plunger casing connectedto one end thereof, and to one side of the gun, a spray nozzle, aplunger secured to the lower end of said nozzle and adapted to work insaid plunger casing, a retracting spring to engage said plunger, and torestore and hold the discharge nozzle in an inoperative position, saidnozzle being projected by the pressure of water in said supply pipe, aprotecting cap' secured to the upper end of said nozzle, and acontrolling valve in said pipe, said valve being automatically operatedby the recoil and restoration of the gun after firing.

8. A gun hose comprising a water supply pipe, a flexible hose connectionsecured to one end of said pipe, a cut-0E valve in said hose connection,a controlling valve in said pipe, a plunger casing connected to the opposite end of said pipe, and to the gun, a plunger arranged in saidcasing, a discharge nozzle connected to said plunger, a spring in saidcasing to retract said plunger and nozzle, a protecting cap operated bysaid nozzle, an operating bar comprising an inner fixed section and anouter section hingedly connected to said fixed section and adapted toengage the stem of said controlling valve, and valve operating rollersadapted to be adjustably mounted in said operating bar GEORGE L.l/VETZEL.

lVitnesses:

GEO. M. JoHNsoN, BENJ. U. KOLLER.

